Suzuki Burgman Street EX

Why to buy it?

- Good road presence

- Frugal motor with good performance

- Feature loaded

Why to avoid it?

- Disconnect between the front and rear end

- Firm rear suspension

- High asking price

When we speak of maxi-styled scooters in India, although the list is fairly short, the Suzuki Burgman Street 125 is one of the popular names in the category. But recently, the company launched an updated version of it with the ‘EX’ badge and a premium of Rs 19,000. While the latter is quite an amount to ask for a scooter, especially in a price-sensitive market like ours, what’s new in it for the buyer? Three things – an auto-engine start/stop system, 12-inch rear alloy, and Suzuki Eco Performance Alpha. And how do all these updates translate into the real world for the customer? That’s what we have explored in this road test review of the Suzuki Burgman Street 125 EX. 

The Burgman EX features the same design as the standard model. So, the large LED headlight unit integrated into the front apron with the turn indicators, a transparent visor, sharp side panels, and the overall styling remains as it has been. And we like it. This scooter has enough visual mass and it’s complemented well by the two-tone paint scheme of Metallic Royal Bronze. Even the inside apron and the bronze-finished alloys add up to the overall aesthetic appeal of the Burgman Street EX. 

The paint and plastic quality too seem on par in most places and the switch cubes have a reassuring click. In fact, the switch placement is pretty accurate and all the buttons are well under your reach while riding. However, the handlebar cowl’s plastic felt a tad shaky on our test unit. But overall, the Burgman Street 125 EX ticks the styling and quality box for us. 

The EX trim has retained the ergonomics from the base model. It gets the same wide seat, a spacious floorboard, and a wide handlebar placed towards the rider. You sit upright and can stretch your legs to rest them on the apron since it has enough room. Then, the seat is sufficiently spacious to move around if you need to readjust your position on the move. You can also rest your hands comfortably on the handlebar and there’s room for the lock-to-lock turns without the bar fouling with your knees. Measuring 5’10, I could flat foot easily in a very relaxed posture on the Burgman’s 780mm high seat. 

That said, the seat cushion is firm and not very comfortable at first. But the same translates to a convenient experience when spending long hours in the saddle. With a weight of 111kg, getting the scooter on and off the main stand is quite easy too. 

Suzuki has powered the Burgman Street EX with a 124cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that dishes out 8.58bhp and 10Nm. It is mated to a CVT gearbox and gets a kick and an electric start. The said power figures translate into an enthusiastic real-world experience. The scooter accelerates in a very linear manner and picks up speeds with ease. Even in slow-moving traffic, the engine can crawl at speeds as low as 10kmph, without any signs of struggle. And the same character is reflected as you gun for the top speed, which was a speedometer-indicated 103kmph. The overall engine performance of the Burgman EX is likeable and smooth. Moreover, its character is a good mix of youthful and conservative approaches. 

Speaking of handling, the larger rear wheel should translate to a slight geometrical change in theory. This means the slight nose-up position in the previous model changes to a comparatively flatter and aligned profile. While that is the case, the rear suspension could be tweaked. It feels a little stiff when you ride without the pillion. It tends to unsettle the ride over potholes, bridge joints, or broken speedbumps. However, the same changes to plush once the pillion is onboard. That said, the front forks are softly sprung, resulting in a slight disconnect with the rear since the response from both ends isn’t uniform. The front end bounces off speed breakers and bad patches with ease while the rear sends jolts to your back. 

Moreover, the Burgman feels very stable at high speeds and it’s a result of the long wheelbase and adequate weight distribution. The tyre grip is also decent and the scooter is easy to flick from front side to side. 

While the front disc and rear drum brake setup offer good progression with a predictable bite, the latter could be better since the scooter takes a little time to cut the speed down. A better set of brake pads could come to the rescue. One bit that we found unusual was that Suzuki skimped on the parking brake for the Burgman EX. So, during an up or downhill, you’ll need to hold the front/rear brake to avoid a front/back roll-down. In comparison, the same holds true for the Access disc brake model, but the Avenis does get a parking brake as standard. 

As mentioned, the Burgman gets an auto start/stop system. It helps the scooter turn on with no sound of the starter motor and it shuts off automatically once it’s left idle or at a standstill for a handful of seconds. To turn the motor back on, all you need to do is twist the throttle and the engine comes back to life. Not to mention, this is one of the few smooth start/stop systems we’ve experienced on a scooter so far. 

Suzuki has also equipped the Burgman with LED illumination, LCD, a side stand interlock, and a USB charging port. The console layout is neat and minimalistic with the readouts well organised. It houses a speedometer, trip meters, odometer, fuel-level readout, and turn-by-turn navigation using smartphone connectivity. The USB charging port is located inside the left cubby holder (with a lid) which offers enough room to store a large phone. Meanwhile, the right side gets an open pocket that can easily hold a one-litre bottle. 

During our efficiency test, the Suzuki Burgman Street EX returned a mileage of 58.57kmpl, which shows that the motor is quite frugal. It was ridden in varying traffic conditions on the highway and in the city. The said mileage paired with its 5.5-litre fuel tank capacity could return a total range of around 322kmpl. 

The Suzuki Burgman Street (standard) has proven to be a laudable product since its use case has been fairly wide for personal use as well as delivery purposes for restaurant chain owners. The latter is a result of the spacious floorboard, decent under-seat storage, and a wide seat to mount a box if needed. And now, with the entry of the EX trim, the user experience is slightly enhanced too, thanks to the change in the riding dynamics and the addition of the start/stop system. The overall product remains largely the same, and we aren’t complaining. 

However, the Rs 20,000 price difference is tough to justify for two nominal upgrades. At Rs 1,12,300 (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Burgman EX has other rivals with a similar asking price. That said, the standard and Ride Connect editions are still on sale and cost Rs 90,200 and Rs 93,200 (both ex-showroom, Delhi). 

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi